menopause

I've never taken birth control pills (I've used a diaphram for birth control all my reproductive life). So I'm going through something I've discovered is getting rarer, natural menopause. My sisters were interested in my experience but then we realized they will have a different experience because they will reach menopause by stopping taking the pill.

I had no idea that the process took so long. I've been aware of changes for at least five years, though the first change was that my periods became regular for the first time in my life. I've had mild hot flashes for years--the only problem is that I wake up at night and throw off the covers and then wake up again freezing. Then I went through at least a year of three months on, three months off.

It has only been four months but I see more changes, so I think I am finally done that stage. The hot flashes are a little more noticeable, but still not a problem. The dryness is what I notice most. I've long used Astroglide, but this is all the time. I was surprised how hard a time I had finding non-medical non-herbal remedies on the web. My symptoms aren't bothering me enough to make me want to alter the natural process, I just want something to soothe the dryness. What I've found that looks very promising to me is grapeseed oil.

link added later: here's more on my experience